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The Sundaysun report on a couple living in shed.

A COUPLE who lost their home after failing to keep up mortgage payments are living in a shed.

Debbie Galloway, 31, and husband Philip, 42, are sleeping in the hut at a relative’s allotment.

They claim accommodation offered by Hartlepool Council is run-down.

Their six children are living with relatives.

The pair began sleeping rough after complaining about conditions in several properties offered to them.

They had lived in a three-bedroomed semi-detached home for 13 years.

Debbie said: “All of them have been run down and in a bad way.

“The allotment is cleaner than half the houses they have sent us to. It’s disgusting. We have got six kids. They are all separated and it’s not fair on them.”

A council spokesman said “Given that she has been classified as intentionally homeless, social housing is not a realistic option.

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Here are some great Allotment sheds, the purists sheddies out there say that the allotment shed is where it all started in terms of UK sheds and where it should stay, non of your posh offices or things on wheels.

I agree in part, yes, when allotments were at their intial peak during the wars, that saw the rise of the shed, not your normal shed mind you, the shed made out of bits and pieces found around, recylcling before the sandle lot got involved.

Now of course allotments are back in fashion and thus the Shed, Iam happy to see (as you well know) all sorts of sheds on this site, I love them all.

The Music Shed

The allotment corral

Bellotment

The most unstable shed on Tenantry Down

Soar Berry Shed

The Plot Thickens

View more of them and give them some love and Vote

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Further to the Manor Garden Olympic Allotments pictures yesterday, the Kitchen Sisters contacted me to say.

We are working on a radio piece about the (former) Manor Garden Allotments
in East London which were bulldozed this October to make way for the 2012
London Olympics. The story will air June 26th of NPR’s Morning Edition. There will also be an extra sound piece about English garden sheds on the allotments web page.

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I have mentioned the Manor Garden Olympic Allotments before

But photographer Jan Stradtmann has some great images of the sheds before they were destroyed to make way for the games.

More about the Manor Garden Olympic Allotments.

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Culture Secretary Andy Burnham visited a Grade II-listed pigeon loft threatened with demolition.

Mr Burnham was taken to the cree, on an allotment in Ryhope, near Sunderland, by local MP Fraser Kemp.

English Heritage granted it listed status in 1998 but the land’s owners, Newcastle-based Worktalent Ltd, want to redevelop the allotments.

The cree’s owner, 75-year-old Maurice Surtees, and 21 other allotment holders have vowed to save the loft and the surrounding land and their efforts have been backed by local campaign groups and MPs.

credit: striatic

The allotment holders were offered a £250,000 compensation package to move out, but they all turned it down.

Another developer has started talks with Worktalent hoping to broker a deal to save the site.
Mr Surtees said: “My message to the developer is if he has got any decency, take the offer and leave us alone.

“We just want to live in peace. Give up? Never. I’d rather drop down dead than give up.”
Mr Burnham said: “The cree is a unique piece of culture in this part of the world.
“I represent an area similar to this one in the North West and from my point of view heritage is not just in other parts of the country.

“We have got to celebrate our culture wherever we find it.
“The cree is listed for a good reason. I know there is a decision on-going and it is not for me to intervene in that.”

The row has reached Parliament where Labour MP Fraser Kemp, whose constituency includes the cree, tabled a Commons motion backing the pigeon fanciers.

More info here

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credit: doustpauline

More space must be provided to secure the future of the humble allotment, an MP warned yesterday.

Keen allotment holder and Tory MP, Tony Baldry, said that land available for the much-loved garden plots was shrinking just as demand was growing.

Mr Baldry (Banbury) said councils and the Government needed to act to ensure that more land was freed-up to meet the spiralling allotment demand.

The origins of the allotment date back more than 200 years from the enclosure legislation of the 18th and 19th centuries.

They have offered urbanites room to enjoy the great outdoors and grow fruit and vegetables despite living in the midst of congested and polluted cities.

Mr Baldry, who told the Commons that allotments were a great place to “chill out”, was introducing his Allotments (Planning) Bill to free up more space for the plots.
He said waiting lists for allotments were now as long as ten years in some parts and urgent action was required.

“We should all be championing allotments on the grounds of health, the environment, community relations and ethnic diversity.

“The reason why I’m seeking to introduce this Bill is as demand for allotments is increasing, the number of available plots is decreasing.”

Mr Baldry’s Bill would encourage local authorities “..to consider imposing duties on developers to provide land for statutory allotments when determining planning applications; and for connected purposes.”

He told the House: “Allotments are in big demand for growing fruit, growing flowers, growing vegetables or just as a great way to chill out.

“And in this, the centenary year of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908, it would be very good if this House and the Government could find the way and the will to enable new laws to be created to meet spiralling demand for allotments and to expand allotment availability as we go into the 21st century.”

The Bill, which has cross-party support, was given an unopposed first reading but is unlikely to become law due to a lack of Parliamentary time.

Taken straight from PA somewhere.

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Future Sheddie and Interior Architecture student Emma, has asked if we can help so here you go.

I am designing a shed for an allotment for a first year project. I study Interior Architecture at Nottingham Trent University. From my research it is obvious people take great care and pride in their allotments, our aim is to create a space within this environment where you can do anything from storing equipment to working, relaxing and even sleeping. This questionnaire has been created to get a better idea of what you, the client, requires.

I would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill in this short questionnaire and maybe even pass it on to your friends. Please feel free to add any comments, your input would be fantastic. Thank you, Emma! xXx :0)

1. Do you have an allotment? (If no, go to question 7)

2. If so, how much time a week do you spend at your allotment?

3. Ideally how much time would you like to spend at your allotment?

4. What do you mainly use your allotment for?

· Growing crops for a business

· Growing crops for personal use

· Exercise

· Time away from the ‘missus’ (or ‘mister’)

· For peace and quiet/relaxation

· General hobby

· Other (please specify) ….

5. Do you keep animals at your allotment?

6. If you do keep animals, or would like to, what kind?

7. Do you have a shed?

8. If not would you like a shed?

9. What is your shed made of?

10. Did you buy your shed flat packed or did you build it yourself?

11. What would you keep in the shed? (e.g. Tools, animals, seeds, plant pots, etc)

12. If there was a bed in your shed would you use it?

13. Ideally, what other utilities would you like in your shed (e.g. Electrical point, heater, kettle, toilet, sink, games console, TV, etc. )

Please email all replies to emma.farren@students.ntu.ac.uk

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We have blogged about the treatment of the Manor gardens allotments before, to make way for the Olympics, anyway according to the BBC a student is doing some art thing about their plight.

Memories and stories from allotment holders in east London have been used to reconstruct their community shed for an art exhibition.

Artist Thomas Pausz, who built the hut from reclaimed materials, took his inspiration from members of the Manor Garden Allotments in Hackney Wick.

The shed will stand next to the Royal Albert Hall in west London and house an exhibition about allotment life.

Manor Garden Allotments was closed last year to make way for the 2012 Olympics.

The original shed formed the hub of the 100-year-old community which stood by the River Lea.

If anyone is around Royal Albert Hall please take a photo and pop it up on flickr and let me know, would like to see it

UPDATE:
Onemanandhisdig has a picture in their familiar named post.

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I mentioned this before about allotments being closed to make way for the big Olympic movement

But this story is that they are being given access to their hard work to harvest their crops, big deal, these people have been on the sites for years and the big bullys come along, the whole point of the Olympics is for community I thought.. but they are getting a new shed, which does not make up for it at all.

“As part of our continued support, a limited amount of plot holders will be allowed supervised access to their current site for a few days a week until September. After the Games we will be reproviding a larger allotment site on a landscaped Olympic Park.”

The LDA has been working with the allotment holders for two years to identify and secure a site.

Other forms of LDA support include £850 disturbance compensation for each allotment holder, new shed and moving existing greenhouses to the new site.

bean-sprouts have more| or the supporters of the Manor garden allotments. Some great pics of the allotments

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